Story starts with Characters
Finding my artistic voice and finding my life purpose is one-in-the-same. Becoming self-aware and connected to that process has been a challenge I face every day. My vision is clear but filmmaking is a collaborative process that is bigger than me. Every time I write a script, direct actors, work on set with other filmmakers, I ask myself the same question. How can I elevate the work.
“Complex character, simple story” has always been my mantra. I explore character arcs by investigating tough interpersonal family relationships.
It’s the complexity of my own experiences that inspire me to explore the contradictions and complexities of the characters I create. Representation is important to me but specificity is essential. Making a flawed character relatable allows the audience to see themselves in other people. It's an extremely powerful tool that helps us gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and hopefully inspires us to be better versions of ourselves. Whether it is television or films I want to be apart of the movement that elevates human consciousness.
Martina Lee is an award-winning writer/director who decided to pursue her passion for film in 2013 and attended New York University Tisch Asia in Singapore. It was there where she began her journey to find her artistic voice. She moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to attend the University of Southern California. While developing her craft at USC, she was awarded the prestigious Annenberg Fellowship in 2016 and again in 2017. Her award-winning film Blueberry starring Evan Alex from Jordan Peele’s US made it into a number of festivals including the American Black Film Festival and Blackstar Film Festival. It also aired on both domestic and international broadcasting channels.
After school she worked as a creative coordinator for White Horse Pictures worked on Emmy Winning documentary film, The Apollo, directed by Roger Ross Williams and Pavoratti, directed by Ron Howard. She was accepted as a directing fellow for the 2019 Project Involve Film Independent and was awarded the Amazon Studio Fellowship. Through that program she directed her next short Black Boy Joy staring William Catlett (from Love is.. And Black Lightning) and Evan Alex. The film has gotten into over a dozen film festivals and is a finalist for the 2020 ABFF HBO Short Film Competition. It won best short at the Martha Vinyard Black Film Festival and Lionsgate / STARZ Short Film Award Winner at the Blackstar Film Festival. It also won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for best short narrative. It is now streaming on HBO. She was a 2020 Woman in Film Insight Fellow. She is currently developing a TV show with Slippery Moon Productions and Warner Bros. while working as an associate producer on ALL RISE season 3 where she got to direct her first episodic tv show going to air later this year.
resume
directing credits
ALL RISE S3 (OWN) ep. 312 / Director - episodic TV One hour drama
LITTLE BOBBY CONNORS 2020 Writer / Director - Hooked 9 mins
BLACK BOY JOY 2019 (on HBO) Director - Film Independent Project Involve 17 mins
BLUEBERRY 2018 Writer / Director - USC Thesis Film 16 mins.
CONVERSATIONS 2018 Director - Web Series 7 mins.
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE 2018 Co-Director - USC Half Hour Comedy 30 mins.
THE GARDEN 2017 (Short) 17 mins. Writer / Director - USC Short Film 16 mins.
BROKEN-DOWN 2016 Writer / Director - USC Short Film 6 mins
awards and labs
2021 Silver Telly Winner in Television: Entertainment
2021 Bronze Telly Winner in Television: D&I
2021 NAACP Image Award for Best Short Narrative
2021 Diversity in Cannes Screening Committee Award, Best Actor, Will Catlett, and Best Writer, Michelle Sam
2020 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival - HBO Short Award Winner (Oscar Qualified)
2020 Blackstar Film Festival - Lionsgate / STARZ Short Film Award Winner
2020 Cordillera Film Festival Best Director Short - Black Boy Joy
2020 American Black Film Festival HBO Short Film Finalist
2020 Best of NFLA Awards - Blueberry nominated for Best Comedy, Evan Alex for Best Performance
2019 Amazon Studios Film Fellowship
2019 Woman in Film Insight Fellowship
2019 Film Independent - Project Involve Directing Fellow
2019 USC First Look Industry Award Winner Best Comedy for Blueberry
2O16 - 2017 and 2017 - 2018 Annenberg Graduate Fellowship
education
MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART Bachelor of Fine Art / Photography Major 2004
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY TISCH ASIA, SINGAPORE
Master of Fine Art (withdrew) / Film Production 2012 -2013
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES Master of Fine Art (attending) / Film Production 2015 - 2018
